F1's new African GP is savaged by fans reacting to the 10-year mega deal

F1 has confirmed a 10-year agreement to race in Rwanda, with the new venue expected to join the calendar in the early 2030s. An exact debut date has not yet been announced while F1 has also failed to address the country's human rights record.

The circuit is planned approximately 40 kilometres south of Kigali, with a lakeside setting and dramatic elevation changes among its standout features.

However, attention on social media has also turned to a sequence of tightly connected corners shown in the published designs.

Some have criticised the combination of corners and braking zones, while others compared an apparent run-off area to something from a racing game.

“Even got the built in Mario Kart style shortcut,” one commenter wrote. Another labelled the images “AI slop”, in reference to the generated image of the track. Other reactions questioned whether the proposed configuration would provide enough opportunities to overtake.

The project’s topography promises a distinctive challenge. Circuit designer Alex Wurz described the venue as a “rollercoaster”, with 197 metres of elevation change.

The proposed back straight would take drivers down a steep descent, along a route currently occupied by a dirt road. That terrain could become a defining characteristic of the circuit, although its racing qualities will only become clear as the project develops.

The announcement represents a significant step towards ending Africa’s absence from the F1 calendar, which stretches back to the 1993 South African Grand Prix.

Rwanda would become the third African country to stage a world championship race, following Morocco and South Africa.

Lewis Hamilton has repeatedly pushed for the sport to return to the continent, making the issue a prominent part of his calls for F1 to expand its reach.

“I’ve always said that we need to have a Grand Prix in Africa,” Hamilton said in comments included in GPblog’s coverage of the announcement. “It is, for me, the most important continent, to be honest, and the most beautiful continent.”

With the agreement announced but the first race still several years away, the circuit’s development will now be a central part of turning that ambition into reality.